Published 11/23/2007

Goodwill training changes lives, helps build strong communities

by Beckye Randall

Shopping at a Goodwill store can be a treasure hunt, a search for that DKNY jacket that was too expensive at Macy’s, or that collectible teapot that will fit perfectly on your display shelf.

That same shopping trip also helps fund the prime mission of Seattle Goodwill.

An independent nonprofit affiliate of Goodwill Industries, Seattle Goodwill operates 14 stores and 23 donation centers in King, Skagit, Whatcom, Snohomish and Kitsap counties.

Those retail locations support the job training programs taking place in seven locations, including one in Marysville at 9315 State Avenue. The slogan of Seattle Goodwill sums up the organization’s focus: “Because jobs change lives.”

Gusti Clark is the director of Marysville’s job training and education program. A soft-spoken woman with a ready smile, Clark beams with pride when she talks about the students served by the program.

“Our training is free of charge,” Clark said, “and it helps prepare people for productive lives in our community.”

The Marysville training center, adjacent to the thrift store, offers retail and customer service training, adult basic education including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and computer classes teaching Microsoft Word and Excel.

Each of the programs involves eight weeks of classes, with an additional 4 weeks of on-the-job training in the Marysville Goodwill store for students in the retail and customer service program. The students are paid a stipend of $500 per month while enrolled.

“We have capacity for 10 students in each of our computer classes,” said Clark. “The retail program can accommodate about 15 students at a time.”

Goodwill training programs are available to anyone 18 and older in the community, following an intake interview and assessment of current educational skills.

Goodwill Seattle’s public relations director Betsy McFeely explained, “A potential client for our training program is someone who experiences significant barriers to employment.” Those barriers might be homelessness, an abusive domestic situation, a learning disability, or simply a lack of employable skills.

When students complete one of the intensive programs, the support doesn’t stop. Clark and her part-time staffers provide comprehensive case management services, partnering with other agencies in Snohomish County for the benefit of their clients. Goodwill works with WorkSource, the Workforce Development Council, DSHS, and a number of local agencies and employers.

In addition to the 8-week programs, the Marysville training center also offers “Goodwill Works,” a variety of workshops that help sharpen job and life skills. The workshops, generally 4 hours long, cover topics that include communication skills, time management and appropriate workplace behavior. The workshops are free and open to the public.

At a recent graduation celebration at the training center, Goodwill Seattle President Ken Colling expressed his support for the local program and its positive impact on the community. “Goodwill’s mission is being fulfilled in a very real way here,” he said.

Colling was hired as Goodwill Seattle’s president in 2004 after a 24-year health care management career. He opted for early retirement so he could fulfill his passion for nonprofit organizations, and was excited to move from San Diego to the Puget Sound area to take on the challenges of his current position.

“We work hard to meet the needs of each particular area when designing our training programs, with input from local businesses and our partners in other agencies,” said Colling. “If we can get people good jobs, that takes care of so many other things.”

Pointing out the diversity of the students Goodwill trains, Colling said “they may come to class by bus, on foot, driving an old car, or behind the wheel of a Mercedes.”

Sue Ambler, chief executive officer for Workforce Development Council of Snohomish County, was keynote speaker for the ceremony. She assured the graduates that by completing the training programs offered by Goodwill, they had earned the right to be proud and to feel personal satisfaction.

“I’m dyslexic,” Ambler disclosed, “so I had to learn how to learn in creative ways. Working with my hands has always helped me make sense of things,” she explained, encouraging the graduates to continue their learning journey.

For the ?? people who completed the skills training classes, the graduation acknowledged their hard work and reinforced their sense of accomplishment. They are better equipped now to direct their future and contribute to their families and their communities.

Because jobs change lives.

Caption: Recent graduates from the Goodwill training programs included: (back row L-R) Deborah Jorden, Monique Gales, Rodney Fagerlie; (front row L-R) Boon Chhom, Mary Bond, Chona Dormaier and Chris Vesey.

 

Sidebar

Goodwill recycles

Thrift store shoppers are probably well-acquainted with the colored tags attached to clothing and other items. The colors are part of a sophisticated inventory and recycling system developed by Goodwill Seattle, and monitored by Marysville store manager Joann Conrad, to get the most out of donations in support of their training programs.

While the store’s inventory may change hourly, based on the intake and processing of donations, items only stay on the store racks and shelves for four weeks. Most items unsold at the end of a month are forwarded to Seattle Goodwill’s Outlet Store, located at 6th and Holgate in Seattle, where goods are sold by the pound.

The outlet store in turn resells its excess merchandise to salvage companies. Scrap metal, cardboard and textiles are used in manufacturing processes locally and nationally.

Some donations never make it to the sales floor. Items that are too damaged for resale are shredded or otherwise broken down for recycling. Suzanne, the store’s collectibles expert, also identifies prized pieces that may be sold on eBay or Goodwill’s own online sales site, www.shopgoodwill.com.

As Betsy McFeely said, “Every trip to Goodwill is a treasure hunt.”

The real treasure may be in the results of that purchase, with local funds put to work back in our community.

 

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